is double.

The church time taken for the elect only which have the law of God written in their hearts, and faith to be saved through Christ written there also. Which same, for all that, say with Paul, That good which I would, that do I not. But that evil which I hate, that do I: so it is not I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in my flesh.

Gal. v.

And (Gal.v.) the flesh lusteth contrary to the spirit, and the spirit contrary to the flesh, so that these two fighting between themselves, ye cannot do what ye would. For they never consent that sin is good, nor hate the law, nor cease to fight against the flesh, but as soon as they be fallen, rise and fight afresh. And that the church is sometime taken for the common rascal of all that believe, wheThe carnal ther with the mouth only, and carnally, without Spirit, neither loving the law in their hearts, nor feeling the mercy that is in Christ, but either run altogether at riot or keep the law with cautels and expositions of their own feigning, and yet not of love, but for fear of hell, as the thieves do for fear of the gallows, and make recompence to God for their sins with holy deeds.

church

sinneth.

Two manner [of] faiths

John xv.

The faith of them that be

called but

not elect.

He also will not understand, that there be two manner [of] faiths: one, that is the faith of the elect, As ye which purgeth them of all their sins for ever. see John xv. Ye be clean, saith Christ, by the reason of the word: that is, through believing Christ's doctrine. And (John i.) He gave them power to be the sons of God, through believing in his name. And (John iii.) He that believeth the Son hath everlasting life: and a thousand like texts.

And another of them that be called and never elect. As the faith of Judas, of Simon Magus, of the devil, and of the pope. In whose hearts the law of God is not written, as it appeareth by their works. And therefore when they believe many things of Christ, yet when they come unto the salvation that is in his blood, they be but Jews and Turks and forsake Christ and run unto the justifying of ceremonies with the Jews and Turks.

And therefore they remain ever in sin within their hearts.

Where the elect having the law written in their breasts and leaving it in their spirits, sin there never, but without in the flesh. Against which sin they fight continually and minish it daily with the help of the Spirit, through prayer, fasting, and serving their neighbours lovingly with all manner [of] service, out of the law that is written in their hearts. And their hope of forgiveness is in Christ only, through his blood, and not in ceremonies.

THE FIFTH CHAPTER.

AND unto his fifth chapter I answer, by the pope the Scripture is hid and brought into ignorance, and the true sense corrupt. And by them that ye call heretics, we know the Scripture and the true sense thereof. And I say, that the pope keepeth the Scripture as did the pharisees, to make merchandise of it. And again, that the heretics be come out of you, as out of the scribes and pharisees came the apostles, and Christ himself, and John Baptist; and that they be plucked out of you, and graffed in Christ, and built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.

And in the end, when he saith that the heretics be fallen out of Christ's mystical body, which is the pope and his; I answer, that ye be a mystical, [mistical] body and walk in the mist and will not come at the light, and the heretics be departed out of your mist, and walk in the clear light of God's word.

THE SIXTH CHAPTER.

The pope
Scripture.

hideth the

The heretics be fal

len out of

the mist.

In the sixth he saith that the heretics be all nought, for they all perjure and abjure. He yet saith untrue. Many Why many

Many for their weakness are kept

abide unto the death.

out of your hands.

Many for their overmuch boldness

fall.

in their own strength be delivered into your hands, and fall in the flesh, their hearts abiding still in the truth; as Peter and thousands did; and after repent, and be no less Christian than before, though ye have them in derision unto your own damnation. And many, because they come to Christ for fleshly liberty, and not for love of the truth; fall as it becometh them under your hands as Judas and Balaam, which at the beginning take Christ's part, but afterward when they find either loss, or no vantage, they get them unto the contrary part, and are by profession the most cruel enemies, and subtilest persecutors of the truth. Look, Master More, and read, and mark

well.

Councils.

THE SEVENTH CHAPTER.

In the seventh he saith, that he hath holy saints and holy councils on his side. Name the saints and prove it. Name the councils, and the holy prelates thereof. Thou shalt shew me none other popes or cardinals, than such as we have now, that will obey neither God nor man, or any law made by God or man; but compel all men to follow them, strengthening their kingdom with the multitude of all misdoers.

He saith also, that good and bad worship saints, the good well, and the bad evil. How cometh it then that ye shew not the difference, and teach to do it well? I see but one fashion among all the popish.

And finally he saith, he is not bound to answer unto the reasons and Scriptures that are laid against them. It is enough to prove their part, that it is a common custom, and that such a multitude do it: and so by his doctrine the Turks are in the right way.

THE EIGHTH CHAPTER.

IN the eighth he saith, the saints be more charitable Saints. now, than when they lived. I answer, Abraham was when he lived as charitable as the best. And yet dead,

he answered him that prayed to him: They have Moses Luke xvi. and the prophets, let them hear them. And so have we,

not Moses and the prophets only, but a more clear light, even Christ and the apostles, unto which if we hearken, we be saints already.

And to prove that they in heaven be better than we in

earth, he allegeth a text of our Saviour, (Luke vii.) that Luke vii. the worst in heaven is better than John Baptist. Now the text is, He that is less in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. We that believe are God's kingdom. And he that is least (in doing service unto his brethren) is ever the greatest after the doctrine of Christ. Now Christ was less than John, and therefore greater than he. And by their own doctrine, there was no saint in heaven before the resurrection of Christ! But what care they what they say, blinded with their own sophistry.

your trust in him?

Christ did

such service as all the

saints could not do.

Moreover, cursed is he that trusteth in ought save God, saith the text, and therefore the saints would have no man to trust in them while they were alive. As Paul saith (1 Cor. iii.) What is Paul, save your servant to preach 1 Cor. iii. Christ? Did Paul die for you? Were ye baptized in the name of Paul? Did I not marry you to Christ to put And again, Let no man rejoice or trust in man, saith he. For all are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas; whether the world, life, death, present things, or things to come; all are yours, and ye are Christ's and Christ is God's. If my faith be stedfast in the promises that I have in Christ's blood, I need but to pray to my Father in Christ's name and he shall send me a legion of angels to help me; so that my faith is lord over the angels, and over all creatures to turn them unto

We may

not trust to saints.

my soul's health, and my Father's honour; and may be
subject unto no creature, but unto God's word in our
Saviour Christ only. I may have no trust therefore in the
saints. If ye say, ye put no trust in them, but only put
them in remembrance of their duty; as a man desireth
his neighbour to pray for him, remembering him of his
duty; and as when we desire our brethren to help us at
our need.
That is false, for ye put trust in all your cere-
monies, and all your holy deeds; and in whosoever dis-
guiseth himself, and altereth his coat from the common
fashion, yea, and even in the coats of them that be not
yet saints after your doctrine.

If a priest said mass in his gown, would ye not rise against him and slay him, and that for the false faith that ye have in the other garments? For what honour can those other garments do to God more than his gown, or profit unto your souls, seeing ye understand nought thereby? And thereto in the collects of saints ye say, Save me God, and give me everlasting life, for the merits of this or that perstition. saint; every man after his phantasy choosing him one saint singularly to be saved by. With which collects I pray you shew me, how standeth the death of Christ? Paul would say that Christ died in vain if that doctrine were true.

Prayer to saints is a great su

Before Christ we used not to pray to

saints.

And thereto inasmuch as ye say, the saints merit or deserve not in heaven, but in this world only, it is to be feared lest their merits be sore wasted, and the deservings of many all spent through our holy father's so great liberality.

Abraham and the prophets, and the apostles, and many since, prayed to no saints, and yet were holy enough.

And when he saith, they could help when they were alive. That was through their faith in believing the promise. For they had promises that they should do such miracles to stablish their doctrine, and to provoke unto Christ, and not unto themselves.